The present invention relates to a multichannel recording device and method for simultaneously recording a plurality of programs on disc-like recording media such as RTR (Real Time Recorder)-DVDs (Digital Versatile Discs).
As is well known, optical disc reproducing devices for animations have been developed which reproduce optical discs having data such as videos and sounds recorded thereon. These optical disc reproducing devices are commonly used for movie software or karaoke to reproduce, for example, LDs (Laser Discs) or video CDs (Compact Discs).
The MPEG (Moving Picture Image Coding Experts Group) 2 system is now used as an international standard, and a DVD standard based on AC (Audio Compression)-3 audio compression system has been newly proposed.
The DVD standard employs the MPEG2 for an animation compression system in accordance with an MPEG2 system layer, supports AC-3 audio or MPEG audio for an audio compression system, and additionally includes sub-picture data for subtitles comprising run-length-compressed bit map data and control data (a navigation pack) for special reproduction such as fast forwarding and fast rewinding.
Further, the DVD standard supports the ISO (International Organization for Standardization) 9660 and the micro UDF (Universal Disc Format) in order to allow computers to read data.
Standards for DVD-ROMs (Read Only Memories), which are media used for DVD-videos, and for DVD-RAMs (Random Access Memories) [2.6 GB (Giga Bytes)] has also been completed; DVD-RAM drives are becoming more and more popular as computer peripheral devices.
Moreover, a RTR-DVD standard has been completed and commercialized, which is a DVD video standard that uses DVD-RAMs to enable real-time recording and reproduction.
The RTR-DVD standard is based on the currently commercially available DVD-video standard. A file system compatible with this RTR-DVD is also being designed.
This standard defines a minimum data length unit over which AV (Audio Video) data must be contiguously recorded in order to enable continuous reproduction despite a defect or a jump. This data length unit is called “CDA (Contiguous Data Area)”.
The CDA blocks are limited in that they must be arranged contiguously on a disc and each have a length equal to an integral multiple of that of the ECC (Error Correcting Code) block. The CDA length varies with a recording rate. Basically, the amount of data must be such that data in a buffer can be continuously reproduced for a period of time longer than that required for a pickup to move from an inner-most periphery to an outer-most periphery of the disc.
Accordingly, the RTR-DVD specifies recording and reproducing processes using the CDA. Based on this standard, equipment will be developed which carries out recording and reproduction for TV (Television) broadcasting and which will replace the current VTRs (Video Tape Recorders).
In this case, one of the demands which has not been realized by the current VTRs will be met using disc media. That is, the disc media enable two or more TV programs to be simultaneously recorded.
The current RTR-DVD standard, however, does not assume that a plurality of programs are simultaneously recorded. As a result, it does not allow a plurality of programs to be recorded.